Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, began an official goodwill visit to Mauritania Tuesday. The following are some basic facts about the country in northwestern Africa.
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is located in the west of the Sahara. Bordering the North Atlantic Ocean in the west, it has Algeria and Western Sahara in the north, Mali in the east and the southeast, and Senegal to its south.
The country has a territory of 1.03 million square km and its capital is Nouakchott. According to 2006 statistics, Mauritania's population is about 3.18 million, of whom about 96 percent believe in Islam. While Arabic is the official language, French is also widely spoken.
In 1986, Mauritania was singled out by the United Nations as one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. To boost economic growth, the government has in recent years carried out reforms for transition to a market economy and implemented favorable policies to attract foreign investment in recent years.
Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40 percent of its total exports. The country's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world.
China and Mauritania established diplomatic relations on July 19, 1965. Since then, Mauritania has adhered to the one-China policy and the two countries have witnessed a steady development of mutual relations.
Bilateral trade volume in 2007 reached 707 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 38.3 percent compared with 2006.
Source:Xinhua
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